SCOTT SIMON, Host:
Now from a man of numbers to a beloved boy wizard, the eight and final Harry Potter movie hits theaters this week. Each of these extravagantly successful films brought certain excitement to fans. But for those unacquainted with Hogworts and Horcruxes, NPR's Sami Yenigun has a cheat sheet.
(SOUNDBITE OF HARRY POTTER MOVIE MUSIC)
SAMI YENIGUN: All right you Muggles, lets take this thing from the top.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE")
DANIEL RADCLIFFE: (as Harry Potter) Dear Mr. Potter we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2")
ROBBIE COLTRANE: (as Rubeus Hagrid) You're a wizard, Harry.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
YENIGUN: And a damn fine wizard. Harry needed to learn magic because he's got the meanest son of a gun ever after him: Lord Voldemort.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2")
RALPH FIENNES: (as Lord Voldemort) I must be the one to kill Harry Potter.
YENIGUN: See Voldemort killed Harry's parents and he tried to kill Harry when he was a baby. Now Voldemort's building an army and he's trying to kill him again.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1)
RADCLIFFE: If Voldemort's building an army then I want to fight.
YENIGUN: 'Atta boy, Harry.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1)
BILL NIGHY: (as Minister Rufus Scrimgeour) But you can't fight this war on your own.
YENIGUN: Don't be silly, Harry's best buds Ron and Hermione have his back.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1")
RUPERT GRINT: (as Ron Weasley) You may be the Chosen One, mate, but this is a whole lot bigger than that.
EMMA WATSON: (as Hermione Granger) It's dangerous, Harry.
YENIGUN: And if that ain't enough, the most legendary of all wizards, professor Dumbledore, is also looking out for Harry.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, 'HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE")
MICHAEL GAMBON: (as Professor Albus Dumbledore) Take my arm.
(SOUNDBITE OF CRASHING AND SCREAMS)
YENIGUN: So Dumbledore put together a gang to fight the dark lord, including Professor Snape, the potions teacher at Hogwarts.
ALAN RICKMAN: (as Professor Severus Snape) Dumbledore is a great wizard, only a fool would question it.
YENIGUN: Amen. That's about the only thing that Harry Potter and Professor Snape have ever agreed on.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN")
RICKMAN: (as Professor Severus Snape) Do you take pride in being an insufferable know-it-all?
YENIGUN: Hey man, I'm just stating the facts.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX")
RICKMAN: (as Professor Severus Snape) Avada Kedavra.
(SOUNDBITE OF EXPLOSION)
YENIGUN: Whoa now, plot twist. At the end of movie six, Snape killed Dumbledore, and everyone is super bummed.
(SOUNDBITE OF CRYING)
YENIGUN: Stay with me now, here's where it gets tricky. There are these things called Horcruxes.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "HARRY POTTER")
RADCLIFFE: What are they exactly?
YENIGUN: Voldemort split his soul up into eight pieces, and hid them in eight Horcruxes.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE")
JIM BROADBENT: (as Professor Horace Slughorn) This is very dark stuff, very dark, indeed.
YENIGUN: That's what I'm saying. And so now Harry and his friends need to find these Horcruxes, and destroy them.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
YENIGUN: Okay, so that's close to 20 hours of movie right there, and here's where we stand going into the finale - Harry's having a hard time finding Horcruxes.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2")
RADCLIFFE: Did you think we' were going to be staying in five-star hotels? Finding a Horcrux every other day?
YENIGUN: Voldemort needs to find Harry.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2")
FIENNES: (as Lord Voldemort) I'm going to kill you, Harry Potter.
YENIGUN: Ron and Hermione got to get a room.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2")
WATSON: (as Hermione Granger) Ronald Weasley, you show up here after weeks and you say, hey?
YENIGUN: And I need to find a new epic series with castles and magic and wizards. Wonder when "Game Of Thrones" is back on. Sami Yenigun NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
